Extreme store makeover: New Milford's Wine and Roses is ready to bloom

By ADAM OFFITZER

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

After 26 years of selling flowers and liquor in New Milford, Lou and Chris Denis considered calling it quits. The brothers and co-owners of Wine & Roses had been losing money for five straight years, forcing them to cut salaries and think about closing.

Brothers Lou and Chris Denis own Wine & Roses in New Milford, a flower shop that also sells liquor. The store will appear on TNT's forthcoming series "Save Our Business," which aims to help struggling small businesses with advice and makeovers.

That is, until one phone call in May changed everything.

"We thought it was a joke," Chris Denis, 50, said about the call from a producer at cable television network TNT, claiming to represent a new reality TV show giving "makeovers" to local businesses.

The call was real, the show was real, and Wine & Roses now has a very real face-lift to show for it.

"What happened to us just now was a miracle," said Lou Denis, 56. "It gave us exposure, it made us more in tune with what we're doing wrong with our business."

The brothers were kept in the dark about the details of the show until the crew arrived to film. The initial phone call itself was very vague. "They asked if we were a flower shop in Bergen County, how was business, are you struggling," said the elder Denis. "I said yes."

"All of a sudden we were Skyping with the producers," he continued, "and they liked us." The production team arrived at the store Thursday, June 20. By the following Monday morning, the Denis brothers had a fully renovated store, a new logo and an experience they both describe as "surreal."

The show, "Save Our Business," features British entrepreneur Peter Jones traveling across the United States, meeting with small-business owners to give them advice and store makeovers. The show is slated to premiere on TNT this fall. While the producers would not comment on this story or the cost of the makeover, TNT confirmed that the Denis brothers' store will be featured on the show.

Wine & Roses, which had been a nondescript flower shop, was given a restructured wine area, with sleek chalkboards labeling the wines and wooden racks showcasing the bottles. A new logo was stamped throughout the store, with a circular layout and a fancy "W&R" centered in the middle that resembles the seals stamped on bottles of wine. A standard counter-top was replaced with a wine-tasting area, with low-hanging, dim lights, empty wine glasses laid out on shelves, and an illustration on the wall depicting the "anatomy of the glass."

The idea to combine selling liquor and flowers started 26 years ago when Lou bought the building, which had been a liquor store. The store's previous owners presented the brothers with an interesting proposition.

"I was just gonna put the flower shop in, but they came to me about a week later and said 'Would you like to buy a liquor license?' So I said sure," he said, "and it was the best thing I could've done. Those other shops can't do for you what I can do. I can put a bottle of champagne with a dozen roses.' "

For years, Wine & Roses was a successful business. Lou says the store brought in $1 million in 1987, its first year, and was making $3 million a year by 1990. Over the last 12 years, however, a series of events (9/11, which hurt their New York delivery business; the financial crash of 2008, and Superstorm Sandy) took significant tolls on sales. In recent years, Lou and Chris were "squeaking by" – cutting their salaries and reducing their staff from 20 full- and part-time workers to six part-time employees.

The brothers now expect a full recovery, and not just because of the makeover. They said the show tested their employees on their wine knowledge and the results were not satisfactory. One salesman couldn't distinguish types of wine when explaining them to a customer. Another tried selling white wine to a customer who came in specifically looking for red wine.

Watching the employee tests was a real wake-up call, Lou said. "You look at your employees and think 'No wonder we're going out of business!' " Rather than firing these staff members, the brothers are providing them with additional training and guidance.

While the store got a free makeover and free exposure, the process was not pain-free. Three years ago, Chris' wife, Rosie, was let go from the business by Lou, which led to family tension. Lou and Chris said filming the show helped resolve the conflict; Lou apologized on camera and attempted to clear the air.

The renovation process did not go flawlessly, either. After the production crew left, the store faced electrical problems because some cables had been rewired improperly. The Denis brothers said they have been in touch with the production team, who said they will reimburse the store for all applicable costs. The brothers said the show's producers also promised to provide them with a financial business plan from an accounting firm.

As for marketing, the owners are passing out cards to customers, telling them to look out for the show when it airs in November or December.

When the episode runs, the Denis brothers will be able to judge whether or not their business was actually "saved." For now, they believe the producers will follow through.

"I can't say anything negative about it," said Lou. "We got free consulting, a total store makeover, and a good kick in the butt to change the business around."

Extreme store makeover: New Milford's Wine and Roses is ready to bloom

By ADAM OFFITZER

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

After 26 years of selling flowers and liquor in New Milford, Lou and Chris Denis considered calling it quits. The brothers and co-owners of Wine & Roses had been losing money for five straight years, forcing them to cut salaries and think about closing.

Brothers Lou and Chris Denis own Wine & Roses in New Milford, a flower shop that also sells liquor. The store will appear on TNT's forthcoming series "Save Our Business," which aims to help struggling small businesses with advice and makeovers.

"We thought it was a joke," Chris Denis, 50, said about the call from a producer at cable television network TNT, claiming to represent a new reality TV show giving "makeovers" to local businesses.

The call was real, the show was real, and Wine & Roses now has a very real face-lift to show for it.

"What happened to us just now was a miracle," said Lou Denis, 56. "It gave us exposure, it made us more in tune with what we're doing wrong with our business."

The brothers were kept in the dark about the details of the show until the crew arrived to film. The initial phone call itself was very vague. "They asked if we were a flower shop in Bergen County, how was business, are you struggling," said the elder Denis. "I said yes."

"All of a sudden we were Skyping with the producers," he continued, "and they liked us." The production team arrived at the store Thursday, June 20. By the following Monday morning, the Denis brothers had a fully renovated store, a new logo and an experience they both describe as "surreal."

The show, "Save Our Business," features British entrepreneur Peter Jones traveling across the United States, meeting with small-business owners to give them advice and store makeovers. The show is slated to premiere on TNT this fall. While the producers would not comment on this story or the cost of the makeover, TNT confirmed that the Denis brothers' store will be featured on the show.

Wine & Roses, which had been a nondescript flower shop, was given a restructured wine area, with sleek chalkboards labeling the wines and wooden racks showcasing the bottles. A new logo was stamped throughout the store, with a circular layout and a fancy "W&R" centered in the middle that resembles the seals stamped on bottles of wine. A standard counter-top was replaced with a wine-tasting area, with low-hanging, dim lights, empty wine glasses laid out on shelves, and an illustration on the wall depicting the "anatomy of the glass."

The idea to combine selling liquor and flowers started 26 years ago when Lou bought the building, which had been a liquor store. The store's previous owners presented the brothers with an interesting proposition.

"I was just gonna put the flower shop in, but they came to me about a week later and said 'Would you like to buy a liquor license?' So I said sure," he said, "and it was the best thing I could've done. Those other shops can't do for you what I can do. I can put a bottle of champagne with a dozen roses.' "

For years, Wine & Roses was a successful business. Lou says the store brought in $1 million in 1987, its first year, and was making $3 million a year by 1990. Over the last 12 years, however, a series of events (9/11, which hurt their New York delivery business; the financial crash of 2008, and Superstorm Sandy) took significant tolls on sales. In recent years, Lou and Chris were "squeaking by" – cutting their salaries and reducing their staff from 20 full- and part-time workers to six part-time employees.

The brothers now expect a full recovery, and not just because of the makeover. They said the show tested their employees on their wine knowledge and the results were not satisfactory. One salesman couldn't distinguish types of wine when explaining them to a customer. Another tried selling white wine to a customer who came in specifically looking for red wine.

Watching the employee tests was a real wake-up call, Lou said. "You look at your employees and think 'No wonder we're going out of business!' " Rather than firing these staff members, the brothers are providing them with additional training and guidance.

While the store got a free makeover and free exposure, the process was not pain-free. Three years ago, Chris' wife, Rosie, was let go from the business by Lou, which led to family tension. Lou and Chris said filming the show helped resolve the conflict; Lou apologized on camera and attempted to clear the air.

The renovation process did not go flawlessly, either. After the production crew left, the store faced electrical problems because some cables had been rewired improperly. The Denis brothers said they have been in touch with the production team, who said they will reimburse the store for all applicable costs. The brothers said the show's producers also promised to provide them with a financial business plan from an accounting firm.

As for marketing, the owners are passing out cards to customers, telling them to look out for the show when it airs in November or December.

When the episode runs, the Denis brothers will be able to judge whether or not their business was actually "saved." For now, they believe the producers will follow through.

"I can't say anything negative about it," said Lou. "We got free consulting, a total store makeover, and a good kick in the butt to change the business around."